Freight-car.



F. G. MILLER.

FREIGHT CAR. APPLICATION FILED QBPT. 11, 1913.

Patented Dec. 16, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N V E N 70 f? Haze/s dJfzZ/e/ mum/5853 al M:

F. G. MILLER.

FREIGHT GAR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, 1913.

1,081,853, Patented Dec. 16, 1913.

U. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Y k Q R: u Q 7% mi Q 5* P f g Y l J Q V I K WITNESSES (NVEflTO/f .1 'TGJYAT J/z/Zer iilllti l'littif iittltiifititlri t ttft ilill itft it to l i'ittttl iliil G. liIILLER, OI DEFIANCIEI, 01110.

Application filed September 11, 1913. Serial No. 789,384.

To ol/ ti /wilt t5- moy/ ()OttffG/"N lie it known that it, l nann. (It. citizen ot' the Unitetl Staten, and a resident of t elianee, in the county of itl eliance and Nate oi tihio, have inventetl a new tttltl lin- [)l'tPVttl l 'reig ht-tlnr of which the following; :i a toll eleaiy antl exact description.

This invention relates to railway Jttl' e0nst'ruction anti has partitailnr reference to cart; for carrying freight or express, but I would have it nntierstootl that the invention iii not to he liinitetl to any particular one to which it may he zipplieti.

Among the ohjeets of the invention is to so arrange a freight en as to support the i'reig'ht o articles l'ieing carried by it so as to prevent damage clue to shocks or jolts such as are commonly ineitlent to freight: t nilie. i

More definitely stated, my invention relateo to a plattt'irni or none oi any suitable nature (ienentling upon the eonnno lity to he carried therein, nueh platform or cage being i't'lfittillttl for movement relatively to the hear of the ear, anti certain cushioning (icvices, either it the nature of springs or tlashpots, being; ititlOtlliCCfl between the lllttt'ttiilf platform and the other parts of the rat: to as to ettunlim the relative movements ant! ltlitl to keep the movable device in mid nn-o 0 am.

"the 'loreg'oijn ganti other object; of the invention will hereiini't'ter loo more fully (leeerihotl an l elaiineil. anti illustrated in the drawings t'oriniin a part oti this; specification 'in which like el'iarncters of reference indie; to cot-respontling parts in all the views, and in \\'l1leh---- Figure 'l in n horixontal sectional View illil'iHtfIll a t'reigrht. oar showing my invention applied thereto; l itn 2 is a l'l't'ttlSVtBl'SO seet'ion on the tine it -33 of Fig. l; anti Fig. 3 is a longitetlilnri section on the line ii --23 of tie.

ii'ti time, a

'lhe sore 'al oarta til. the tttw'iee may he matte of any nuitahe nniterniln, anti the relative ritiitb anti giro )ortione, an well an the general tlenitrn thereof; may lie Ytl tl to a tanieiileralile extent: vithout tleoartinn' from the spli'tl; oi the invention lwreinat't r more l'ully set forth nntl etieeil ieall clainuui.

Jtt it) it show a tre' u ht ear oi conventional form or ntielt a. are eoniwii'iily t'alletl lioX ears. ll' l t'ovl l tith the usual bottom anti nine walla tit.

At it tni'ality oi barn extending from one cntl of the ear to the other in parallel relation to each othe anti to the side wall anti Spttt'ttl at short distance from the bottom 11 ot? the ear. F' tlhl have t'l are HP- ouretl in place in socket pieces stitute a permanent or tixetl part ot the itl'l [)YUVUIIIGHII.

At 1t; .1: provitl: a platform or crate, hereinafter for convenience terinet'l a platform, antl the same is movable along the bottom it ot the ear. in other WOt'tlF, the platform is atlapteil to reeiproeate within certain lint-- its between the entla '12 ot the ear, hut; in spat-ell in its normal or tllltl position as much as a toot or two front eneh entl. ln PI'HU tire, however, the platform closely approizr mates the full Wltll'll ot the insitie ot the car. This platform to prefer: l)l tIlOtitiik ctl on anti-friction wheels or rolleni ti hearing upon longitudinal rails; .18 upon the .ttl floor.

The eonntructit'in of the platform int'ilutlce a plurality of cross lttll'r} or heanis it) which may constitute the axles tor the wheels 1? and through these eroei-i hezinn; the hairs iii are nt'lnptetl. to extentl, as shown in l ies. L anti 3). That portion of each. Will it be tween the tlttl 19 of the war anti the (:rt piece [9 is surrountletl hy a coil sprint; :50 constituting one form of cushioning tleiieo which may lie employed to resist the movement of the platform towartl that entl of the ear. I also provide at eaeh entl o'l the plat t'orni a pneumatic cit hion or tl'ashpot shown as comprising a eylintler it having a piston connected lay means; oi a piston I'Otl 523 with the ailjaeent tllt'l oi the :ar. l.he pits-- ton l'tltl preterahly is tittetl substantially airtight with the enrol E21" ot the eylii'itler, antl in tii'tltl' to male: allovant-e tor the lateral vibrations of the platform with rennet-t to the. ear liorl v some -suitalile ltitttllH nun-at he ii-tnitletl wierelw' cramping or hintlingg oi the ilashpot conne tion will he nreventetl. tine simple illltl (llttllA'U means Ll'oiaeeoznplishingg' thin is to connect the heart flit oil the nieton l' tl with a i-ioelieti ill. The socket 9i is; -=eeuretl ritritlly to one tiltl antl it: proi'itlttl with vertically arrann'etl fllmt'tll lips .35, the nam het ween the lips heing \Vitltt than the thiehnesa oi the [)lFltilt rotl heatl whim lit'fi hetween them. whereby the plattorin with all of its eonneetietl parts may rile-atteli z litly laterally. With relerence to the e ler't oil the riln'alions upon the rotln it, it met: he i-itatetl that such IOtlS inay hentl 5 anti eon- J al i it

sufficiently for such purpose, or the openings between the lips may be large enough to permit the vibrations to be taken care of by the wheels 17 and rails 18 in connection With the cushioning devices just described.

The dashpot is preferably provided with means to graduate the exit of air from its cylinder 21. Any suitable means to accomplish this result may be employed though I show for the purpose a series of holes :26, the spaces between the holes being greater toward the effective end of the cylinder and the last hole being smaller than the others. In other words, as the piston 22 is forced toward the closed end of the cylinder the air will be forced out through the holes 26 comparatively freely until it approaches the last hole, when finally the trapped air will constitute an air cushion, except, however, as may be modified by the operation of an adjustable air valve 27. The air valve may be set to discharge at any desired amount of pressure as required by the nature of the equipment.

As suggested in Fig. 3 especially, the platform is designed for the transportation of crates of eggs shown in broken lines at 28. The platform construction may include therefore any desired number of permanent side and end rails 29 and 30 respectively, which serve to hold the egg crates in position.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that a load of freight or breakable commodities carried by the platform 16 will be relieved. from the shocks or jamming effect of the starting and switching or the like of freight cars as they are usually handled In other words, the platform and its load. will be given a resilient cushioned enda Wise connection with the ends of the freight cars whereby the danger of breakage or loss vvill'be reduced to a minimum.

oanssa Having thus described my inventiomI claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:-

1. In a freight car, the combination with the car body, of a platform adapted to reciprocate longitudinally Within the car'body and toward the opposite ends thereof in alternation, anti-friction means to support the platform upon the car floor, a pair of rods extending from one end of the car to the other end and there secured in position,

said rods extending through portions of the platform, and cushioning means associated with said rods and serving to relieve the shock between the car and the platform.

2. In a device of the character set forth, the combination of a car body including a floor and ends, a platform Within the car, rails and wheels supporting the platform upon said floor and providing for longitudinal reciprocation of the platform between the ends of the car, means auxiliary to the rails and wheels to control the lateral Vibrations of the platform, and cushioningmeans between the ends of the platform and the ends of the car, said cushioning means including dashpots, each dashpot comprising'a cylinder, a piston, a piston rod and a socket piece for the end of the piston rod, said socket piece having vertically arranged par allel lips spaced from each other at a distance slightly greater than the Width of the end of the piston rod, said dashpot also in cluding means to control the exit of air from the cylinder, said controlling means including an adjustable valve.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

FRANK G. MILLER. Witnesses E. W. Cos'rELLo, d ZlILLIE PEssirALL. 

